Morgan Freeman

Freeman worked as a dancer at the 1964 World's Fair and was a member of the Opera Ring musical theater group in San Francisco.[14] He acted in a touring company version of The Royal Hunt of the Sun, and also appeared as an extra in Sidney Lumet's 1965 drama film The Pawnbroker starring Rod Steiger.[14] Between acting and dancing jobs, Freeman realized that acting was where his heart lay. "After [The Royal Hunt of the Sun], my acting career just took off," he later recalled.[14] Freeman made his Off-Broadway debut in 1967, opposite Viveca Lindfors in The Nigger Lovers, a show about the Freedom Riders during the American Civil Rights Movement,[15] before debuting on Broadway in 1968's all-black version of Hello, Dolly! that also starred Pearl Bailey and Cab Calloway.[16] In 1969, Freeman also performed on stage in The Dozens.[17]

Beginning in 1971, Freeman starred in the PBS children's television show The Electric Company, which gave him financial stability and recognition among American audiences.[9] His work on the show was tiring, so he quit in 1975.[13] Television producer Joan Ganz Cooney said that Freeman loathed appearing in The Electric Company, saying "it was a very unhappy period in his life".[18] Freeman later acknowledged that he does not think about the show, but he was grateful to have been a part of it.[19] His first credited appearance in a feature film was in 1971's Who Says I Can't Ride a Rainbow!, a family drama starring Jack Klugman.[17] Also that year, Freeman performed in a theater production of Purlie.[20] After a short career break, he returned to work in 1978, appearing in two stage productions: 1978's The Mighty Gents, winning a Drama Desk Award and a Clarence Derwent Award for his role as a wino,[21] and White Pelicans.[22] Freeman continued to work in theater, and a year later, appeared in the Shakespearean tragedies Coriolanus, receiving the Obie Award in 1980 for the title role,[14] and Julius Caesar.[23]

In 1980, he had a small role as Walter in the drama Brubaker, which starred Robert Redford as a prison warden.[24] Freeman next appeared in the television film, Attica (1980), which is about the 1971 Attica Prison riot and its aftermath.[25] A year later, he starred in Peter Yates' Eyewitness with co-stars William Hurt and Sigourney Weaver.[26] From 1982 to 1984, Freeman was a cast member of the soap opera Another World, playing architect Roy Bingham.[27] After several small roles in dramas, he starred in Marie (1985), a film adaptation of Marie: A True Story by Peter Maas, in which he portrayed Charles Traughber,[28] and also appeared in the miniseries The Atlanta Child Murders.[29] Freeman also had a small role in the drama That Was Then... This Is Now, based on the novel of the same name by S. E. Hinton.[30] In the mid-1980s, he began accepting prominent supporting roles in feature films, earning him a reputation for depicting wise, fatherly characters.[9]

In addition to television films, in 1987, Freeman played a violent street hustler, a role that diverged from his previous roles, in Street Smart co-starring Christopher Reeve and Kathy Baker. Freeman's performance was praised by film critics, including Roger Ebert who wrote: "Freeman has the flashier role, as a smart, very tough man who can be charming or intimidating - whatever's needed...Freeman creates such an unforgettable villain."[31] Freeman's performance earned him an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor.[32] Freeman later said he considered Street Smart to be his breakthrough role.[19] In his next film, he played Craig in the drama Clean and Sober with co-stars Michael Keaton and Kathy Baker. Although the film was not a box-office hit, it gained fair reviews; Roger Ebert gave the film 41⁄2 out of 5 stars and called the performances "superb".[33] Freeman also received Obie Awards for his roles as a preacher in the musical The Gospel at Colonus, and as Hoke Colburn in the play Driving Miss Daisy, respectively.[14]

Freeman had four film releases in 1989. In the first, he starred as Sergeant Major John Rawlins in Glory, directed by Edward Zwick, about the 54th Massachusetts Infantry Regiment, the Union Army's second African-American regiment in the American Civil War. Writing for The Washington Post, Desson Thomson praised Freeman and co-star Denzel Washington for their "warming sense of fraternity".[34] Glory was nominated for five Academy Awards and won three: Best Supporting Actor for Washington, Best Cinematography, and Best Sound.[35] Next, Freeman starred in the comedy-drama Driving Miss Daisy, alongside Jessica Tandy and Dan Aykroyd. Based on Alfred Uhry's play of the same name, in which Freeman had appeared previously, he reprises his role of Hoke Colburn, chauffeur for a Jewish widow. The film was a commercial success and grossed US$145 million worldwide.[36] Film critics were mainly positive; Henry Sheehan from The Hollywood Reporter opined that Freeman and Tandy's performances complemented each other while retaining their "individual star-quality".[37] The film was nominated for nine Academy Awards, including Best Actor for Freeman.[35]

His third release was the biographical drama Lean on Me, in which he portrays the principal of an under-performing and drug- and crime-ridden New Jersey high school. Jane Galbraith of Variety magazine thought Freeman's casting was "wonderful".[38] Lastly in 1989, he starred in Walter Hill's Johnny Handsome, a crime drama in which he plays a New Orleans police officer.[39] In a 1990 interview, Freeman said that Glory was one of his favorite releases—"The Black legacy is as noble, is as heroic, is as filled with adventure and conquest and discovery as anybody else's. It's just that nobody knows it."[13]

Freeman at the 62nd Academy Awards in 1990

In 1990, Freeman provided the voice of Frederick Douglass in The Civil War, a television miniseries about the American Civil War.[40] That year, he also starred in the critically panned The Bonfire of the Vanities. According to the review aggregate site Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of 16% based on 51 reviews.[41] In the summer of 1990, he played Petruchio, a role he had been thinking about for six years, in Shakespeare's The Taming of the Shrew, which opened at Delacorte theater in New York City. "[Petruchio] seems to have a lot of fun in life," he said.[42] In 1991, Freeman had a supporting role in Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves, an action-adventure starring Kevin Costner. The film was a commercial success,[43] but garnered mixed reviews from critics; The New York Times' Vincent Canby thought Freeman played Azeem with "wit and humor" despite the "muddled" plot.[44] Freeman also narrated The True Story of Glory Continues, a documentary about the 54th Massachusetts Infantry Regiment.[45]

In 1992, he appeared in Clint Eastwood's western Unforgiven, which won four Academy Awards including Best Picture.[46] The film depicts William Munny (Eastwood), an aging outlaw and killer who takes on one more job with old friend Ned Logan (Freeman). Unforgiven was widely acclaimed, with one critic calling Freeman's performance "outstanding".[47] The Power of One was Freeman's second film in 1992, a loose adaptation of Bryce Courtenay's 1989 novel of the same name, in which he plays boxing coach Geel Piet.[48]

In 1993, Freeman made his directorial debut with the drama Bopha!, which tells the story of a black policeman (Danny Glover) during South Africa's apartheid era. Bopha! was well-received, in particular for Freeman's directing. Hal Hinson of The Washington Post wrote: "Freeman lays out the father-son dynamics with great skill and very little fuss. There's no hysteria in his approach; instead, he sticks to the facts, relying on his cast to provide the emotion. The result is a surprisingly powerful, insightful film."[49] Kenneth Turan from Los Angeles Times also complimented Freeman's direction but thought the film was "more predictable than powerful".[50]

In 1994, Freeman portrayed Red, the redeemed convict in Frank Darabont's acclaimed drama The Shawshank Redemption, with co-star Tim Robbins. It is based on the 1982 Stephen King novella Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption. Freeman was cast at the suggestion of producer Liz Glotzer, despite the novella's character of a white Irishman.[51] Filming proved to be challenging, mainly because of Darabont's need for multiple takes. Freeman said: "The answer [I'd give him] was no ... having to do something again and again for no discernible reason tends to be a bit debilitating to the energy."[51] Nevertheless, Freeman's performance was described as "quietly impressive" and "moving" by The New York Times.[52] At the 67th Academy Awards, he received a nomination for Best Actor.[53] Since its release, The Shawshank Redemption has remained popular among audiences.[51] In 1994, Freeman also served as a member of the jury at the 44th Berlin International Film Festival.[54]

Outbreak (1995), a medical thriller directed by Wolfgang Petersen, was Freeman's next film. He played General Billy Ford, a doctor dealing with an outbreak of a fictional virus in a small town. The film also stars Dustin Hoffman, Rene Russo, and Donald Sutherland. Outbreak was a box-office success, grossing $189.8 million worldwide,[55] but gained a mixed critics' response.[56] Mick LaSelle of the San Francisco Chronicle credited Freeman for his performance which may have been unappreciated by viewers.[57] In 1995, Freeman also starred with Brad Pitt in David Fincher's crime thriller Seven, the story of two detectives who attempt to identify a serial killer who bases his murders on the Christian seven deadly sins. Freeman's performance generated a positive response; Owen Gleiberman of Entertainment Weekly wrote: "Freeman plays nearly every scene in a doleful hush; he makes you lean in to hear his words, to ferret out the hints of anger and regret that haunt this weary knight."[58] The critic from Variety magazine called Freeman's acting "supremely nuanced".[59]

A year later, Freeman appeared in Chain Reaction as Paul Shannon, a science-fiction thriller co-starring Keanu Reeves and Rachel Weisz. The film was a critical and commercial disappointment.[60][61] Next, he was cast opposite Robin Wright in 1996's Moll Flanders, a period drama based on the novel of the same name. The film received a mixed reception; Greg Evans from Variety magazine said Freeman gave a "sweet" performance,[62] while The New York Times critic thought he was miscast.[63]

While filming Outbreak, Freeman expressed an interest in starting a film production company. He turned to Lori McCreary, producer of Bopha!, to be his business partner. Freeman explained to her that he wanted to achieve representation on screen, explore challenging issues and reveal hidden truths, so they chose to name their firm Revelations Entertainment.[64]

In 1997, Freeman narrated the Academy Award-winning documentary The Long Way Home, about Jewish refugees' liberation after World War II and the establishment of Israel.[22] He also appeared in Steven Spielberg's historical epic Amistad alongside Djimon Hounsou, Anthony Hopkins, and Matthew McConaughey. Based on the events in 1839 aboard the slave ship La Amistad, the film was mostly well-received and earned four nominations at the Academy Awards.[65][66] The critic from Salon magazine, however, thought the film lacked inspiration and Freeman's role was "utterly cryptic".[67] In that same year, he was cast as psychologist Alex Cross in Kiss the Girls, a thriller based on James Patterson's 1995 novel of the same name. In a mixed review, Peter Stack of San Francisco Chronicle thought Freeman and co-star Ashley Judd gave strong performances despite the lengthy plot.[68]

Freeman in 1998

Freeman went on to star in Deep Impact (1998), a science-fiction disaster film in which he played President Tim Beck.[69] The story depicts humanity's attempt to destroy a 7-mile (11 km) wide comet set to collide with Earth and cause a mass extinction. The film was a box-office hit, despite competition from Armageddon, another summer blockbuster of the year.[70] Continuing with the disaster genre, he then starred opposite Christian Slater in 1998's Hard Rain, centering on a heist and man-made treachery amidst a natural disaster in a small Indiana town. The film was unpopular with critics; Lawrence Van Gelder of The New York Times called the characters "one-dimensional" and the film "routine".[71]

Freeman returned to the screen in 2000 with the lead role of Charlie in the comedy Nurse Betty, featuring Renée Zellweger, Chris Rock, and Greg Kinnear. The film premiered at the Cannes Film Festival to mainly positive reviews; the critic from Variety magazine thought Freeman and Rock had "wonderful chemistry".[72] Next, he appeared in Under Suspicion (2000), a thriller remake of the 1981 French film Garde à vue. The film had been "carting round" for twelve years before Freeman was able to produce it under Revelations Entertainment.[73] He co-starred with Gene Hackman; "Working with Gene was wonderful. I didn't find it too hard working with an icon I so respected," Freeman said.[73] Upon release, Under Suspicion was met with lukewarm reception;[74] CNN's Paul Tatara praised the actors but thought the film was "too tawdry to be completely entertaining, and too static to generate much excitement".[75] In 2001, Freeman reprised his role of Alex Cross in Along Came a Spider, a sequel to 1997's Kiss the Girls. The film received mixed-to-negative reviews.[76] Susan Wloszczyna of USA Today observed that "Freeman strides with noble authority" but thought the overall film was unmemorable.[77]

In 2002, Freeman was cast opposite Ben Affleck in the spy thriller The Sum of All Fears. It is based on Tom Clancy's 1991 novel of the same name, about a plot by an Austrian Neo-Nazi to trigger a nuclear war between the United States and Russia, so that he can establish a fascist superstate in Europe. The Sum of All Fears received moderate reviews,[78] but was a commercial success, grossing $193.9 million worldwide.[79] Next, Freeman starred alongside Ashley Judd and Jim Caviezel in High Crimes (2002), a legal thriller based on Joseph Finder's 1998 novel of the same name. The story follows lawyer Claire (Judd), whose husband (Caviezel) is arrested and placed on trial for the murder of villagers while he was in the Marines. Although several critics were unimpressed with the story, they credited Freeman and Judd for their chemistry and performances.[80][81]

In 2003, Freeman appeared as God in the hit comedy Bruce Almighty with Jim Carrey and Jennifer Aniston.[82] Next, he starred in the science fiction horror Dreamcatcher, adapted from Stephen King's 2001 novel of the same name. The film was a box-office flop,[83] and garnered mostly negative reviews; Dreamcatcher has an approval rating of 28% on review aggregate site Rotten Tomatoes.[84] Also in 2003, Freeman starred in two other dramas that were not widely seen, Levity and Guilty by Association.[85][86] His 2004 releases were comedy The Big Bounce and sports drama Million Dollar Baby.[87][88] In the latter, directed by Clint Eastwood, Freeman portrayed an elderly former boxer. The film won four Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actress (Hilary Swank), and Best Supporting Actor, earning Freeman his first Academy Award.[9] Freeman was also nominated for a Golden Globe Award in the same category.[89] Roger Ebert complimented Freeman's "flat and factual" narration,[90] and Timeout magazine thought the cast fully inhabited their roles.[91]

Freeman at the 2005 Cannes Film Festival

2005 was a busy year for Freeman, making six appearances in various features. In the drama An Unfinished Life, Freeman plays Mitch, a neighbor of a Wyoming rancher (Robert Redford). The film had a mixed response; The Guardian critic thought it was amiable but questioned the purpose of Freeman's "sidekick" role.[92] Freeman's authoritative voice led to his narration of two documentaries; Steven Spielberg's War of the Worlds and the Academy Award-winning March of the Penguins.[22] He also appeared in Christopher Nolan's Batman Begins, the first installment in what would become The Dark Knight Trilogy, as the fictional Lucius Fox.[93] After this, he co-starred with Jet Li in the action-thriller Unleashed, playing Sam, a blind piano tuner who helps Li's character turn his life around. The film gained a mixed-to-positive reception; Peter Hartlaub of San Francisco Chronicle was confused with the genre and thought Freeman's character interrupted the narrative.[94] Freeman's next role was in the thriller Edison, which bombed at the box office.[95] In his last release of 2005, he provided the voice of Neil Armstrong in the documentary Magnificent Desolation: Walking on the Moon 3D.[96]

Freeman starred in 2006's The Contract, as assassin Frank Carden opposite John Cusack. The film was released direct-to-video, which critic John Cornelius suggests was unsurprising, considering the generic formula of the thriller.[97] Freeman next appeared in Lucky Number Slevin (2006), a crime thriller directed by Paul McGuigan. Starring a principal cast of Josh Hartnett, Bruce Willis, Lucy Liu, Stanley Tucci, and Ben Kingsley, the film garnered mixed reception.[98] David Mattin of BBC wrote: "Kingsley and Freeman shine individually, but their inevitable, climactic clash of heads lacks force. Like its leading man [Hartnett], this movie presents a charming façade with nothing much underneath."[99] Next, Freeman portrayed himself in the low-budget comedy 10 Items or Less opposite Paz Vega.[100] Two weeks after its theatrical release, 10 Items or Less was made available for download from ClickStar, a film distribution company that Freeman co-founded that year.[101]

In 2007, Freeman reprised his role as God in Evan Almighty, a sequel to 2003's Bruce Almighty, with Steve Carell. Evan Almighty was a box-office failure[102] and negatively received;[103] The Guardian critic wrote: "A cast full of people who have been frequently funny elsewhere flounder in this deluge of sentimentality and CGI. Avoid like the Ten Plagues."[104] The drama Feast of Love was Freeman's second release of 2007. It is based on the 2000 novel The Feast of Love by Charles Baxter, about a group of friends living in suburban Oregon who come into contact with a free spirit who changes their outlook on life; Peter Bradshaw of The Guardian sarcastically remarked that it was great to see Freeman in a challenging role.[105] Freeman had a supporting part in Gone Baby Gone (2007), a mystery thriller that was also Ben Affleck's directorial debut. Adapted from the 1998 novel of the same name by Dennis Lehane, Freeman plays Captain Jack Doyle of the Boston Police Department. The story and cast performances were positively received; Time Out magazine called it "flawed but impressive".[106] Afterward, he starred in Rob Reiner's 2007 comedy The Bucket List opposite Jack Nicholson.[107] The plot follows two terminally ill men on a road trip with a list of things to do before they die. The film grossed a respectable $175 million worldwide.[108]

Freeman at the German premiere of The Bucket List in 2008

In 2008, Freeman was cast in the action-thriller Wanted, a loose adaptation of the comic book miniseries by Mark Millar and J. G. Jones. The plot revolves around Wesley Gibson (James McAvoy), a frustrated account manager who discovers that he is the son of a professional assassin and decides to join the Fraternity, a secret society of which Sloan (Freeman) is the leader. Principal photography took place in Chicago; co-star rapper Common remarked on the set atmosphere: "Freeman is a cool guy. He’d be walking around joking and singing and just dancing. You know, artists are free and I just felt the freedom in him."[109] The film received generally favorable reviews; Peter Howell of Toronto Star thought it was original and one of Freeman's bolder performances to date.[110] Freeman narrated The Love Guru (2008),[111] before appearing in The Dark Knight (2008), the second installment of Christopher Nolan's Dark Knight Trilogy, in which he reprised his role as Lucius Fox.[112] Freeman returned to Broadway in 2008 after an eighteen-year absence to co-star with Frances McDormand and Peter Gallagher in Clifford Odets' play, The Country Girl, directed by Mike Nichols.[113]

Freeman continued to accept roles in a diverse range of genres. In 2009, Freeman starred opposite Antonio Banderas in the heist movie Thick as Thieves.[114] Next, he collaborated with Christopher Walken and William H. Macy for the comedy The Maiden Heist. For some time, Freeman expressed a desire to do a film based on Nelson Mandela. Initially, he wanted to adapt Mandela's autobiography Long Walk to Freedom into a screenplay, but plans were never finalized.[115] Instead, he purchased the film rights to John Carlin's book: Playing the Enemy: Nelson Mandela and the Game That Made a Nation.[116] The book was adapted into a film which Clint Eastwood directed, Invictus, starring Freeman as Mandela and Matt Damon as rugby team captain Francois Pienaar.[117] The biographical drama received positive reviews for Freeman's performance; Roger Ebert wrote: "Freeman does a splendid job of evoking the man Nelson Mandela ... He shows him as genial, confident, calming, over what was clearly a core of tempered steel."[118] Freeman received Best Actor nominations at the Academy Awards and Golden Globes, as well as a nomination for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor at the Screen Actors Guild Awards.[119][120][121] The same year he provided the narration for Janet Langhart's Anne and Emmett, a play featuring an imaginary conversation between Emmett Till and Anne Frank, both killed as young teenagers because of racial persecution.[122]

Freeman's sole film release of 2010 was Red with co-stars Bruce Willis, Helen Mirren, and John Malkovich.[123] Red is loosely adapted from the comic-book series Red, created by Warren Ellis and Cully Hamner and published by the DC Comics imprint Homage. Freeman plays CIA mentor Joe, who helps retired fellow agent Frank (Willis) to uncover some assassins. The film was a critical and commercial success;[124] writing for Melbourne's The Age, Jim Schembri praised Freeman and the cast who "bring an infectious comic energy to their roles".[125]

Besides film, Freeman worked on other projects. In January 2010, Freeman replaced Walter Cronkite as the voiceover introduction to the CBS Evening News presented by Katie Couric.[126] CBS stated the need for consistency in introductions for regular news broadcasts and special reports as the basis for the change.[126] Deborah Myers, head of Science Channel, approached Freeman to be the presenter of Through the Wormhole (2010–17). She had heard that he was "really interested in space and the universe," and the pair agreed to develop the series together.[127]

In 2011, Freeman narrated the fantasy Conan the Barbarian and appeared in the family drama Dolphin Tale, as prosthetic specialist Dr. McCarthy.[128] Returning to theater in 2011, Freeman was featured with John Lithgow in the Broadway debut of Dustin Lance Black's play, 8, a staged reenactment of Perry v. Brown, the federal trial that overturned California's Proposition 8 ban on same-sex marriage. Freeman played Attorney David Boies.[129] The production was held at the Eugene O'Neill Theatre in New York City to raise money for the American Foundation for Equal Rights.[130][131] Freeman had a lead role in the 2012 drama The Magic of Belle Isle, as an alcoholic novelist trying to write again. The film fared poorly with critics, gaining only a 29% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes.[132] Lastly in 2012, Freeman reprised his role as Lucius Fox for the third time in The Dark Knight Rises.[133]

A number of box office hits were released in 2013. Freeman appeared in the action-thriller Olympus Has Fallen, the first installment in what would become the Has Fallen film series;[134] he portrays Speaker of the House Allan Trumbull. The San Francisco Chronicle critic gave Olympus Has Fallen 3 out of 4 stars and opined that Freeman gave an amicable supporting performance.[135] He then starred in the science fiction drama Oblivion, with co-star Tom Cruise, as veteran soldier Malcolm Beech,[136] and appeared in the thriller Now You See Me, as an ex-magician.[137] Lastly, he played a retiree in Last Vegas, with co-stars Michael Douglas, Robert De Niro, Kevin Kline, and Mary Steenburgen.[138] Filmed in Las Vegas and Atlanta,[139] Last Vegas was praised for its cast's chemistry, and one critic thought Freeman brought the most amusement.[140]

In 2014, Freeman voiced the character Vitruvius in The Lego Movie, a commercially successful 3D animation.[141] He starred in Transcendence, a science fiction thriller directed by Wally Pfister in his directorial debut, in which Freeman plays scientist Joseph Tagger. Critic reviews of the film were generally mixed, according to Metacritic.[142] Next, he co-starred in the action Lucy (2014), about a woman (Scarlett Johansson) who gains psychokinetic abilities when a nootropic drug is absorbed into her bloodstream. Freeman plays Professor Samuel Norman, who helps her research the condition. Producer Virginie Silla wanted Freeman for the part because of his experience in portraying a character of wisdom.[143] "He was the perfect actor," she said.[143] Upon the release of Lucy, critical reception ranged from mixed-to-positive.[144] Also that year, Freeman appeared in the sequel to 2011's Dolphin Tale, Dolphin Tale 2,[145] and 5 Flights Up, a comedy-drama.[146] At the end of 2014, Freeman appeared as himself, among other celebrities, in the documentary Lennon or McCartney.[147]

Kazuaki Kiriya's action-thriller Last Knights was Freeman's first film of 2015, starring opposite Clive Owen. The plot centers on a band of warriors who seek to avenge the loss of their master at the hands of a corrupt minister. Reviews were largely underwhelming;[148] Sara Stewart of New York Post called it "bloody bad", adding: "Once-proud box office names are its first casualties."[149] Freeman next joined the cast of Ted 2, a comedy sequel to Ted, directed by Seth MacFarlane. The story follows the talking teddy bear Ted as he fights for civil rights in order to be recognized as a person. Freeman portrays Patrick Meighan, a highly respected civil rights attorney.[150] A television series also occupied Freeman's time. He played Chief Justice Frawley of the United States Supreme Court in a recurring role in Madam Secretary. He and his producing partner Lori McCreary served as executive producers.[151] Freeman directed the first episode; of his directing style, McCreary remarked: "What's riveting is that he can achieve a complete tonal change in performance with the least amount of direction ... Everybody behaves better when Morgan is there ... but he's very fun."[152] At the end of 2015, Freeman played a U.S. senator in the thriller Momentum.[153]

Freeman in 2016

Reprising his role as Allan Trumbull, Freeman appeared in London Has Fallen, the 2016 sequel to Olympus Has Fallen. The film follows a plot to assassinate the world leaders of the G7 as they attend the British Prime Minister's funeral in London, as well as Secret Service agent Mike Banning's efforts to protect U.S. President Benjamin Asher (Aaron Eckhart) from being killed. The film was a commercial success,[154] however, writing for A.V. Club, Ignatiy Vishnevetsky criticized the cheap filmmaking, saying, "The movie periodically cuts to overqualified supporting actors—including Freeman, Melissa Leo, and Robert Forster ... (it's possible to write something that will sound like garbage even when spoken in Freeman's sonorous voice.)"[155] Next, Freeman reprised his role as Thaddeus Bradley, starring in Now You See Me 2 (2016),[156] the sequel to Now You See Me, the sequel grossing a successful $334.9 million worldwide.[157] Finally, he had a leading role in the historical drama Ben-Hur, the fifth film adaptation of the 1880 novel Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ by Lew Wallace. Freeman expressed interest in playing Sheik Ilderim, a wealthy Nubian sheik, stating: "This character has quite a bit of power in the story. And I like playing power. It's something about my own personal ego."[158] Ben-Hur turned out to be one of 2016's biggest box-office bombs.[159]

In 2017, Freeman appeared in two comedies: Going in Style and Just Getting Started. The first of these is a remake of the 1979 film of the same name, co-starring Michael Caine and Alan Arkin, in which they play bank robbers after their pensions are canceled.[160] It opened to a mixed response;[161] The Telegraph's Robbie Collin thought the trio of actors looked tired before the end of it.[162] Just Getting Started, in which Freeman starred with Tommy Lee Jones and Rene Russo, was critically panned by reviewers.[163] The plot follows an ex-FBI agent (Jones) who must put aside his personal feud with a former mob lawyer (Freeman) at a retirement home when the mafia comes to kill the pair. Freeman hosted the National Geographic The Story of God with Morgan Freeman and The Story of Us with Morgan Freeman, in 2016 and 2017, respectively.[164]

In 2018, Freeman narrated Alpha, a historical drama set in the last ice age. He then starred in Disney's The Nutcracker and the Four Realms, a retelling of E. T. A. Hoffmann's short story "The Nutcracker and the Mouse King" and Marius Petipa's and Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky's ballet The Nutcracker.[165] Finally, he had an uncredited role as Jerome in the biographical drama Brian Banks, a high-school football player who was falsely accused of rape and upon his release attempted to fulfill his dream of making the NFL.[166] In 2019, Freeman starred opposite John Travolta in The Poison Rose, an adaptation of the novel by Richard Salvatore.[167] In Angel Has Fallen, Freeman reprised his role as Allan Trumbull, the third installment in the Has Fallen film series, following Olympus Has Fallen and London Has Fallen. Although critical reception was mixed,[168] the film was a box office success, earning $147.5 million worldwide.[169]

Freeman next appeared alongside an ensemble cast in George Gallo's crime comedy The Comeback Trail (2020) and in Coming 2 America (2021), a sequel to the 1988 film.[170]

On November 20, 2022, Freeman performed with Ghanim Al-Muftah at the opening ceremony of the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar.[171][172]

In 2004, Freeman helped form the Grenada Relief Fund to aid people affected by Hurricane Ivan on the island of Grenada. The fund has since become PLANIT NOW, an organization that seeks to provide preparedness resources for people living in areas affected by hurricanes and severe storms.[173] In 2014, he narrated a clip titled What's Possible, which debuted at the United Nations climate summit.[174] Freeman has donated to the Mississippi Horse Park in Starkville, Mississippi, part of Mississippi State University and Freeman has several horses that he takes there.[175]

After learning about the decline of honeybees, Freeman decided to turn his 124-acre ranch into a bee sanctuary in July 2014, starting with 26 beehives.[176]

In 2005, Freeman criticized the celebration of Black History Month, saying: "I don't want a black history month. Black history is American history."[177] He opined that the only way to end racism is to stop talking about it, and he noted that there is no "white history month".[177] In an interview with 60 Minutes's Mike Wallace, Freeman said: "I am going to stop calling you a white man and I'm going to ask you to stop calling me a black man."[177][178] Freeman supported the defeated proposal to change the Mississippi state flag, which incorporated the Confederate battle flag at the time.[179][180] In an interview on CNN's Piers Morgan Tonight, Freeman drew controversy when he accused the Tea Party movement of racism.[181][182][183] Regarding the 2015 Baltimore protests, Freeman said he was "absolutely" supportive of the protesters. "That unrest [in Baltimore] has nothing to do with terrorism at all, except the terrorism we suffer from the police. ... Because of the technology—everybody has a smartphone—now in reaction to the death of Freddie Gray we can see what the police are doing. We can show the world, 'Look, this is what happened in that situation.' So why are so many people dying in police custody? And why are they all Black? And why are all the police killing them white? What is that? The police have always said, 'I feared for my safety.' Well, now we know. OK. You feared for your safety while a guy was running away from you, right?"[184]

During the 2008 presidential election, Freeman endorsed Barack Obama's presidential bid, although he said he would not join Obama's campaign.[185] He provided the voice of the narrator for Disney World's The Hall of Presidents when Obama was added to the exhibit,[186][187] and when The Hall of Presidents re-opened on July 4, 2009, at Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando, Florida.[187] On day four of the 2016 Democratic National Convention, Freeman provided the voiceover for the video introduction of Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton.[188][189] On September 19, 2017, Freeman appeared in a video by the committee to Investigate Russia group,[190][191] in which he declared "we [United States] are at war" and accusing Russia of "launching cyber attacks and spreading false information".[192][193]

In June 2021, he donated $1 million along with University of Mississippi Professor Linda Keena to the university in order to establish the Center for Evidence-Based Policing and Reform.[194]

In 1997, Freeman and business partner Lori McCreary founded Revelations Entertainment, a film production company. They also founded ClickStar in 2006, a film download company, with investment from Intel Corporation.[195] ClickStar ceased operations in 2008.[196] Freeman owns and operates Ground Zero, a blues club in Clarksdale, Mississippi, and is the former co-owner of Madidi, a fine dining restaurant in the same city.[197]

On May 24, 2018, CNN published an investigation in which eight women accused Freeman of being "overly flirtatious" by "making inappropriate comments" while on the set of films or at his production company.[223]

In response, Freeman issued a statement: "Anyone who knows me or has worked with me knows I am not someone who would intentionally offend or knowingly make anyone feel uneasy. I apologize to anyone who felt uncomfortable or disrespected—that was never my intent."[224][225] The spokesperson for Lori McCreary, Freeman's business partner, did not respond to CNN's request for comment.[226]

Several journalists spoke out in response to the story, including Tyra Martin who stated, "I'm not, never was [a victim]. CNN totally misrepresented the video and took my remarks out of context.”[227] Freeman's lawyer demanded that CNN retract the story.[228] After a period of deliberation, the Screen Actors Guild (SAG) decided not to take any action against Freeman.[229]

On December 8, 2020, La Opinión reported on a Spanish-language blog post from 2018 that alleged that CNN fabricated their report on Freeman.[230]